Showing posts with label curved monitor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label curved monitor. Show all posts

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Pandigital 7-Inch Digital Photo Frame with 2 Interchangeable Frames

Pandigital 7-Inch Digital Photo Frame with 2 Interchangeable FramesThis is the first digital frame I bought. I know the resolution won't be anywhere close to a computer LCD monitor, but I was still very disappointed when I turned on the frame. The LCD screen is strangely long and narrow (resolution 1440x234), so a normal photo only occupies a small part of the screen, making this product effectively a 4" frame with a lot of black space on both sides. The resolution of the photos is very bad, and photos look a little distorted as well.

Pros:

1) Plug and Play, easy to set up.

2) Exchangeable frames included.

Cons:

1) Very poor resolution.

2) Strange LCD shape. Advertised as a 7", but effectively a 4-5" frame with a lot of unused LCD pixels.

I returned this product and bought a Westinghouse DPF0561 5.6" Frame instead. I like the Westinghouse a lot more. It is even easier to set up, photos look good and actually larger than on the Pandigital 7" frame, and viewing angle is great.

Having recently built a digital picture frame from scratch, I was excited when someone gave us this frame for xmas, to see what a commercial frame would be like. After using it for a few weeks, I have to say that if it wasn't a present I would return it and get one that was built by people who had some sense of innovation.

The Good:

* Screen is bright, images look great

* Resolution is only 640x480 but it will play images up to 10 megapixel and they look pretty good to me. Doesn't seem like you need much higher resolution than that on such a small screen.

* Computer connection worked great I plugged it into my xp box, all drivers installed automatically without the need for a cd and then 4 new removable drives showed up. It would be nice if only the drives with a card in them showed up but this is a minor issue.

The bad:

My main complaint about this picture frame is that the people who made it obviously had no interest in making the sort of product that you enjoy using because it is clear that the inventor appreciated why such a product would be fun to have or what makes it an improvement over what was there before. If I bought this frame in 1999 or if it cost $50, I could have forgiven it for the poor design, but in 2007, for $180, it is completely unacceptable. We live in the future here people, get with the program!

I have not used other frames on the market, but given that you can buy an old tablet pc with a 12" screen on ebay for $70, strap it into a cheap frame and make your own, pc-based screen that works 100 times better than this frame, just by running a screen saver for under $150, I'd say this frame is not worth the money at all. This screen just doesn't deliver the goods for the price.

Some details:

* Menu system is insanely poorly designed for instance, you have to be in a specific menu to adjust the system settings pushing the "setup" button at any other time does nothing despite the fact the the setting are global

* Remote control only works when you are standing about a foot from the computer and pointing it directly at the tiny IR hole in the front of the screen.

* Screen only works as a horizontal frame there is no way set it up as a vertical frame (i.e. as a 480x640 frame) because the frame automatically rotates vertical images and there is no way to turn this "feature" off.

* The slowest slideshow speed setting is 1 minute between images. Your only other option is to have it just be on 1 image that doesn't change.

* No way to connect remotely to the computer or to easily

get images onto the frame without having to take the frame to where your computer is or go through a tedious process with a memory card an the crappy menu system.

* Good viewings angles are limited but this is a general problem with lcd screens

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We loaded up some photos and they looked blocky and bad. Immediately returned them. These were photos taken on a Digital Rebel and look great on the computer and in print.

Read Best Reviews of Pandigital 7-Inch Digital Photo Frame with 2 Interchangeable Frames Here

Just bought this photo frame over the weekend. I sat down and downloaded a bunch of photos off my computer onto this frame. It works great. I haven't tried the MP3 music part of it or hooking it up to the TV, but as a digital photo frame...it is worth the money. The cheapest price I have seen it was on sale at Kohls for $99.99 on Power Hour sale.

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I bought this as a gift for my mother and it proved not only to be of fairly poor quality but also very frustrating to use. The issues are as follows:

The screen is low resolution (480 x 234) and a wider aspect ratio than standard digital cameras. The frame crops pictures to fit, which means peoples heads are often cut off.

The instructions are very poorly written.

Copying files from a memory card to the internal memory is a very painful process in which the file must be selected using the remote control, then you must go through a long menu of items to get to 'copy file', after this an 'are you sure?' dialog comes up before the file is actually copied. One reviewer says there is a 'copy all' option while another reviewer says there is no such option. I was not able to find this option in the instructions or using the system. If the option exists it is obscure and not documented at least on the model we got.

We tried to option of copying files to the internal memory from 2 different computers. On an Intel based Macintosh computer we never got it to appear at all. Using a Dell running Windows after a few tries and rebooting we could get it to appear as an external drive but were never able to successfully copy any files.

The whole thing appears to be constructed of the very cheapest plastic available

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Sony Professional HVRM25U HDV Record/Playback Deck

Sony Professional HVRM25U HDV Record/Playback DeckFor professional use, classic Sony quality. There's really nothing else like it on the market. The JVC equivalent costs almost as much and JVC always comes across as more of a "consumer" item.

Menu set-up will be difficult for non-pros, but if you're buying this you're probably already beyond "consumer level," so you'll know how to deal with it. I added a component video out card (from B&H Photo/Video) that Amazon did not carry. The picture output quality to a component video monitor is fantastic especially "downscaled" HDV to a standard definition monitor. You'll be able to use one of these decks in almost any digital video production environment.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Fujifilm MX2900 2.3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Fujifilm MX2900 2.3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical ZoomBefore I buy anything, I do lots of research. I did my homework on this camera and am greatly satisfied by the results. I am amazed at all the useful features. The 3X optical zoom and the 1800X1200 resolution of the pictures make it one of the few great cameras in its price range. The ability to shoot pictures using the manual as well as the automatic mode, make it an excellent camera for the person who has been using traditional SLRs and wants to move into the digital age. The quality of the color in the photos is brilliant and nearly exactly like natural colors. When I print 8X10 photos, the pictures have sharp resolution. I use a USB SmartMedia card reader. I am able to download the pictures to my PC in literally seconds. With a 32 meg. SmartMedia card, I can store 36 photos shooting at 1800X1200 resolution. This is my second digital still camera in two years and I am greatly satisfied with it. I have recommended it to three friends who also now own the camera and love using it.

I've had my MX2900 for about 3 weeks now and I love it! It's easy to use and takes great photos at high resolution and low resolution. The optical zoom is great. I can't believe how clear it is. There aren't many camera's out there in this price range that have the features this camera packs. One of the main things I like about it is all the manual options it gives you. If you like to play with shutter speed and lighting, this camera is for you! It also has great special effects built in too.

The only downside I've noticed to this camera is the serial connection for downloading your pics. This can be fixed by buying a USB card reader. It would have been nice if they had thrown in a 16mb smartcard too. Don't let these little problems keep you away from this camera.

All in all, I'd say I'm a very satisfied Fuji owner.

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Being a stickler for value, flexibility, operating costs, and above all appearance and ease, I admit this camera has it all. My first digital camera, carefully selected after months of research on C/net, auction sites, consumer reviews, amazon reviews, I am so happy that I chose the Fuji MX 2900. I have seen cameras from Olympus and Sony, but they couldn't come up to my expectations.

The three reasons why I concluded with a 4-star rating is: 1) The lens cap w/strap is a bad idea. It really is a problem putting it back on the lens after you have switched off the power. 2) The LCD screen is quite dim when composing shots. However, the actual shots are amazingly clear. 3) The Serial port is S L O W. Buy a SanDisk USB card reader for under $40 from anywhere.

By the way, the included 8MB Card is good enough for an occasional photographer. It can take 141 standard, 89 normal, 17 Fine, and 2 Hi quality shots. I took 17 fine shots at the fist go and they are incredible for potraits. Now, I am sticking to normal quality.

Also, the in-built flash is sufficient for most purposes, and I don't agree investing in an external flash unit at this time.

I am still experimenting with the manual operation. So far I am already amazed with the Auto mode.Finally, the quality of color reproduction is probably the best in class.

Way to go...FUJI.!!

Read Best Reviews of Fujifilm MX2900 2.3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom Here

This is my second digital camera. I bought it because it has a lot of manual controls that my first camera, Agfa CL50, doesn't have. Fuji introduced this canera near the end of 1999 so its price has dropped quite a bit since then. I really like its design. The hand grid and the solid metal feel make it so comfortable in my hand. Built in hot shoe is a big plus that I can attach an external flash light. It has a 2.4 mega pixels CCD which is more than enough for my use. Image quality is good and nicely exposed. It has a full control of all shutter speeds but only two settings for aperture (4 and 8) which is the only thing I disappointed. And that's why I give it a four instead of five stars. Anyway it is a very nicely built camera in a very attractive price. All control buttons are in good positions. Oh, lastly the rechargeable battery last for quite a while after a full charge. Except it is quite pricy!

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I love the camera. The zoom works easily and the optical viewfinder means I never have the battery run down during a day of shooting. But...Fuji uses an odd TIFF file system when taking umcompressed photos and regular software won't read the file. You have to use the Fuji software and convert the file to JPEG. Their software is not user-friendly. Fortunately, I rarely take TIFF images. The JPEG images at the 1 megabyte level are fine for anything but portrait work. Excellent construciton and excellent color rendition. I've used the camera for a year and will soon upgrade to a 5 megapixel unit, keeping this as a second camera. One really irritating thing: The "close-up" setting does not go back to default when the camera is turned off, which can ruin a lot of pictures if you're not careful to turn the "close-up" off when done taking close-ups.

With that exception, the controls are easy to operate and the camera has served me well.

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Saturday, May 31, 2014

PowerShot A2500 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video Recording (Silver)

PowerShot A2500 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video RecordingGot this yesterday and like it, had Canon PowerShot A2300 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Black) before. Just to note, PowerShot A2500 is an entry-level pocket camera which is very similar to PowerShot A2300: 16-megapixel 1/2.3" sensor, DiGiC 4 processor, and 5x zoom 28mm wide angle lens, 2.7" LCD. Even 720p HD video capabilities are the same.

Pros:

1. What really distinguishes it from its predecessor is Smart Auto Mode recognizing 32 shooting environments and adjusts settings for better quality. It automatically selects the best shooting settings for optimal quality based on the environmental factors (lightning I guess) to provide point'n'shoot simplicity.

2. 16.0 Megapixels, with loads of resolution pictures are still clear. High resolution is also good for producing biggest printouts.

3. 5x Optical Zoom is sufficient in most cases.

4. DIGIC 4 Image Processor. Not as fast as DIGIC 5 though fast and powerful enough to give you advanced system options, provide quick-shoot with reliable performance and low battery consumption. As far as I know DIGIC 4 is currently Canon's most efficient processor for budget cameras. BTW it has some Eco mode, that is said to be providing even faster warm-up times and saves the standard battery, but I haven't tested it yet.

5. Very lightweight, just put it into your pocket, can take it everywhere.

6. Price tag $99. You can't get any better camera for the price.

Cons:

1. Like A2300 it lacks optical image stabilization, though it's got digital image stabilization.

2. 1/2.3" sensor. Well, entry level CCD providing good pictures, not of a DSLR quality, that's all I can say.

Summary:

Sure this is not the best camera in the world. I definitely knew it when I bought the camera. BUT, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of pictures I shot.

If you're like me (not a pro) and looking for a budget point-and-shoot camera taking family photos and events, mostly shoot in daylight or good lighting, I'd definitely recommend it, taking into account its price tag of $99 just about right.

IT IS EASY TO USE AND THE QUALITY OF THE PICTURES IS AMAZING. I DON'T THINK THERE IS A BETTER CAMERA IN THE PRICE RANGE OF THIS ONE. JUST SPENT 12 DAYS IN ITALY AND TOOK OVER 1000 PHOTOS THAT ARE LIKE POST CARDS.

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This is my first digital camera and it's so easy even I can take great pictures. I especially like that I can take stills and videos with the same camera. I highly recommend this camera.

Read Best Reviews of PowerShot A2500 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video Recording (Silver) Here

This camera is perfect for me. Easy to use, takes high def pictures, and small enough to put in your pocket or fanny pack.

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So lightweight and easy to use I wish I had gotten one sooner. loaded with great features.

only cons. haven't had time to learn how to use all the features yet.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

HaloRig HD Video Camera Stabilizer Support Hand Held Halo Rig

HaloRig HD Video Camera Stabilizer Support Hand Held Halo RigThe HaloRig is a must have piece of equipment for videographers of all types.

Light weight, perfect size, durable, and it has the ability to attach other gadgets lights, microphones, lcd monitors etc.

It allows the user an enormous amount of maneuverability. I can push in and out, spin the rig to get cool shots, and when I attach zoom and focus knobs I have the ability to do anything I normally do with a tripod.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Panasonic Lumix TS20 16.1 MP TOUGH Waterproof Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (Orange)

Panasonic Lumix TS20 16.1 MP TOUGH Waterproof Digital Camera with 4x Optical ZoomI have had this camera for about five months and I absolutely love it. I wanted a waterproof camera so I wouldn't have to worry about ruining it in rain, snow, dirt, or anything else I throw at it.

Here are some my favorite things about this camera:

-It has a really fast shutter speed so it captures subjects in motion without blur.

-It has a burst function that takes lots of pictures in a row, and so far they have come out incredible. I recently went cliff jumping and got some really good progressive shots of people falling in the air.

-The camera has really good speakers when playing back video.

-Picture quality is fantastic for a point and shoot, both inside and out. Some pictures taken in darker rooms turn out grainy, but that has happened with all my other cameras in the past.

-The wrist strap is adjustable so it can be securely fit to your wrist while in the water.

-The interface is really quick and easy to use.

-The camera turns on incredibly fast so it's good for spur of the moment photo-ops.

-You don't have to change settings between photo and video, you just push a different button for video to start recording. This is really nice because on my previous camera I often forgot to switch it back to photo mode and would take videos instead of pictres.

All in all I love this camera. I don't have any complaints about it yet and I would definitely recommend it! I would also recommend buying a spare battery. The charge holds pretty well but if you are using it a lot in a day it's better to be safe and have a spare just in case. Wouldn't want to miss any great opportunities for a picture!

TO ADD ON:

I recently had my camera at the beach and someone dropped it in the sand. All the cracks had sand in them, so I was a little worried. I just filled my sink with water and sat the camera in in for about 10 minutes, and all the sand just fell off. It's like nothing even happened! I was so happy since my previous camera was ruined by sand.

I bought the Panasonic TS20 digital camera for my trip and was very pleased! The camera is made of mostly metal and feels very solid and durable. It is very compact and fits in my pocket without a problem, a big plus+ for traveling and wanting to avoid carrying a big camera. Also, having this camera made me feel more comfortable about not scratching or damaging it because it is made to be handled without the 'white glove' treatment. I'll get to the main point of having this camera; it does take really nice pictures -outdoors / indoor and with good light. Night time pictures can be a bit tricky and you will have to play with the scene settings. Just like MOST small compact cameras, their strong points are NOT taking pictures in low-light situations. Don't forget, this camera is waterproof and can take picture / video under water. I haven't tried this feature, yet. Will this camera replace a DSLR or micro 4/3 camera? Not quite. It will be a great in taking quick snapshots when you want to go out and not worry about carrying an expensive camera/equipment. For example, going out for dinner with your wife/husband and/or friends.... IMHO you really don't want to be carrying any big camera ( I have a micro 4/3 camera and I think it is sometimes a bit big to carry in certain situations). Did I mention that it fits easily in your pocket? If you are looking for professional photos, this will not meet your needs. If you are looking for a rugged, all-around fun, waterproof and durable camera that takes great pictures, the Panasonic TS20 will fit your needs... especially at a reasonable price. Highly recommended!

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I have to admit, that I wanted to like this camera. It was to replace my old and now, not working, Olympus SW720a precursor to the "tough" cameras. That camera went through a lot and kept working, till the screen went white for no apparent reason, but I digress...

This camera is thin & light. It has a 4x zoom (longer than my old cam). It shoots HD video (not SD like my old cam). It doesn't have a lens cover to jam up on sand, like my old cam. More resolution. Panny's "intelligent resolution" to ensure sharper looking images and "intelligent exposure" to brighten some darker areas. I looked forward to using it.

But the image quality was not up to what I expected. Even bright daylight photos, with a forced flash to fill dark detail, when you look at the photos at 100%the images just get muddy and undefined, they lack the detail I'd expect. In darker situations, image quality deteriorates pretty quickly. I tried forcing the ISO to 100. I tried letting the camera pick everything. I tried dropping the frame size in case it was "interpolating" to a higher resolution. Nothing helped. At best, some images are "nice" but none are great. Some suck. Several wee missed because the camera wasn't focused. I meanon the beach, there's my boy, and the whole shot is out of focus. What did it focus on? I have no idea.

The video is rough and heavily compressed. Audio is "eh." Audio in my old camera was bad too. I guess that's the nature of being an underwater camera. But why is the microphone on TOP of the camera when the lens is capturing something in FRONT of the camera.

Battery lasted one day of occasional shooting, with more photos on the beach, but maybe 50 70 shots (I shoot a lot in a row when the kids are doing something interesting) total before I had to recharge the wafer-thin little battery. I admit the camera is thin, easily pocketable. Convenient. But that extra thinness also made it a bit harder to grip while my hands were wet. I'd prefer something chunkier. Then it could have a bigger battery.

I tried to shoot a couple panoramas with the camera. It stitches and crops the image in the camera and, no matter what I did, the panos are very small. Maybe that's just how they arelower resolution than actual stills. A lot lower resolution. Plus, exposure changes throughout the shot made it look weird. But I was impressed at how well it handled houses that would be "bent" because of the wide angle curve of the lens. Sony's in-camera pano mode has fared worse in this regard, but Sony delivers higher resolution stills and the exposure is locked through the pano. Also, Sony reliably gave me a pano each time (even if the pano sucked). The Panny would error out about half the time because I was going too slow, too fast, whatever. I don't know. As I didn't buy this underwater camera for panos, I don't hold that against the score of the camera.

Lastly, there's two places you really expect to use an underwater camerathe pool & the beach. It was fine in the pool and the wrist lanyard was very good. But at the beach, when you get some sand on your hands because, well, it's THE BEACH... the sand gets under the shutter trigger and, again, I was missing photo opportunities because I couldn't press the damm shutter button. The video button still worked, but why would they not expect that SAND might be present at the most common areas on the planet where there's waterthe beach.

Some vigorous sloshing in the sea while pressing the shutter button worked the sand free and I was able to take more pictures.

Pros:

small, lightweight, thin

waterproof, submersible

shoots HD video, big stills

can force the flash, can compensate the exposure, set spot focus/exposure, manually set ISO

has some scene modes that help a little with dark shots

CONS:

high resolution is lost when you actually look at the stills

video is grainy

a little too thin for my hands

debris can get under the shutter button preventing you from taking a picture

sometimes focuses on... nothing

I really wasn't expecting DSLR-like quality, but I wanted better, and I wanted reliability, not missed shots. So I returned it.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Lumix TS20 16.1 MP TOUGH Waterproof Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (Orange) Here

I got this camera a few months ago after researching waterproof digital cameras and reviews extensively. The price has come down a bit from what I paid, but it was worth every penny. My camera has been in the water in San Diego, Cabo San Lucas, and Maui. It has survived in my boardshorts pocket while:

Surfing heard it knock against my board multiple times

body surfing

swimming in river

jumping off 20 ft waterfall

Have taken video underwater with good quality. This camera is great. Hopefully it will last longer than my previous waterproof cam that was by a different manufacturer, but I didn't properly care for that one. I've been more committed to using the suggested maintenance procedures when using this one, like soaking it in a bowl of water after having it in salt water and keeping the seal clean with the brush they provide. The pictures are sharp and defined high quality.

In 7 days in Cabo I didn't have to recharge the battery once. I expect this camera to last for years.

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I bought this camera for my trip to the Bahamas, and I could not be happier with it. I wanted a camera that I could bring with me into the ocean and on the water riders to capture the memories. The camera lived up to its expectations. My underwater pictures and videos came out great. It was very durable and held up and I went on water slides and rapid rivers. The battery lasts long as well. I used the camera for 5 days straight and still have a charge. I would definitely recommend this camera for someone looking to bring the camera to a beach or water park!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Savage 53" x 12yds Background Paper (#02 Sky Blue)

Savage 53' x 12yds Background PaperI love the seamless background papers. However they are expensive to ship to where I live so I must find a better reusable alternative. Other than that I LOVE them.